Frederick



(No Model.)

G. W. FREDERICK. SELF ANCHORING SUSPENSION BRIDGE.

No. 511.605. Patented Dec. 26,-1893.

GWW Wedm'o w., m u n GEORGE WASHINGTON FREDERICK, OF LOS ANGELES,VCALIFOR'NIA.

SELF-ANCHORING SUSPENSON=BRIDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 511,605, dated December 26, 1893.

Application tiled March 16, 1893.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE WASHINGTON FREDERICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful SuspensionBridge, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to suspension bridges that are self-anchoring in and of themselves, by reason ofthe form of construction shown by the drawings herewith, and by the weight that may be put upon them; and among the objects in View are to build strong and durable bridges at a less expense than bridges are now built, and to have them securely support their own weight, and the Weight that may be put upon them, and at the same time dispense with the expensive and, to some extent, the unreliable methods now in use to obtain the anchorage in suspension bridges, and also to diminish the burden of the bridge by diminishing the Weight of the bridge in the central part of it.

With t-hese objects in view, this invention consists in certain features of construction hereinafter specified, and particularly pointed out in the claims and specification.

In the accompanying drawings Figure l is a side elevation of a bridge constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view partly in section. Fig. 3 is aperspective view of one of the supports for the transverse joists, and Fig. 4 is an end elevation of one of the supporting frames.

A A designate the main longitudinal beams which are preferably arranged in pairs, each pair being connected to each other in any suitable manner so that there will be a space between them.

B designates the supporting frames each consisting of uprights B B the lower ends of which rest upon a transverse sill piece C and are rigidly connectedthereto by means of angle plates c c apertured for the reception of bolts which pass into the sill and uprights. At a suitable height from the sill piece the up rights are connected by a transverse beam C which is on a line with the'longitudinal beams A and forms one of the joists for the iioor boards. The uprights B may be connected to each other at their upper ends also by a transverse beam, the height of which Serial No. 466.373. (No model.)

from the floor of the bridge being such that loaded vehicles can pass beneath the same; said beamsl being connected to the uprights by angle plates c2 which are similar to those which connect the uprights to the sill piece. It will be noted that the uprights pass between each pair ot' longitudinal beams A.

From a point near the lower end of each upright B extend brace beams D and D which are bolted to the uprights and bear against an angle plate d attached to the under side of one of the longitudinal beams and against the depending portion of a fixture secured to the end of said longitudinal beam, and the upper portion of each upright is braced by beams D2 and D3, the latter being slightly short-er than the former so that the upper end of the same will be located below the upper supporting cable. By means of these brace beams the uprights forming the supporting frames are rigidly secured to the longitudinal beams.

E E designate castings or forgings which are bolted to the inner side of the longitudinal beams and have projecting portions e with dovetailed recesses c and in these dovetail recesses the ends of the transverse beams E t so as to connect the longitudinal beams to each other and at the same time provide supports for the iioor boards. The iioor boards are laid cross-wise upon the supports, as shown in Fig. 2, so as to provide diagonal braces, and as the upper edges of the transverse beams are below the upper edges of the beams A the ends of the floor boards will abut against said beams.

The structure hereinbefore described is very rigid, and being united by bolts the parts can be readily tightened should any of the bolts become loose. The structure is further braced by cables F and G located on each side of the bridge, the cable F being provided at its ends with eye-bolts f f which pass through the lower ends of the uprights B. and braces D and receive nuts which bear upon washer plates f. The cable passes from one of these eye-bolts over a roller F journaled between the beamsA near the end of the brace D and from there extends beneath a cable rest F2 centrally located from which it passes over another roller F2 to the other eye-bolt.

The cable G which with its supports forms IOO ` the same, said fixtures having a tubular horizontal portion and a central depending portion to which stay-rods II are connected, the stay-rods extending therefrom to the under side of the longitudinal beams Where they engage plates as shown. From the angles of each fixture g to the upper edge of the beams A extend braces I. These braces I may bear against angle plates at their lower ends or against each other,and the braces at each end of the bridge bear at their lower ends against the angle plate at the juncture of the beam D3 with the beam A. The cable G may be tightened by screwing up the nuts on the ends yof the stay-rods or by tightening the nuts on the eye-bolts g2, said nuts bearing upon the straight faces ofthe angular plates g3.

K and K designate short cables which extend substantially on a line with the beams D and D2 and are attached adjacent to said beams to the uprights,the other ends having eyebolts which pass through anchor plates L, said anchor' plates alsobein g provided with projecting portions fl which lie over the ends of the longitudinal beams. Instead ot' employing the eye-bolts for tightening the several cables I may use turn-buckles of an ordinary pattern.

A bridge constructed as shown and described is easily built and kept in repair.

What I claim isl. A bridge comprising upright supports, longitudinal beams and inclined brace beams which extend from opposite sides of the upright supports to the upper and lower edges of the longitudinal beams, substantially as shown.

2. In a bridge, the combination, of supporting frames and longitudinal beams which extend beyond said supporting frames, of brace beams D, D', D2 and D3 connected to the uprights of said frames and to the longitudinal beams, substantially as shown.

3. In a bridge, the combination, of the supporting frames, longitudinal beams attached thereto and provided with cables F and G the lower cable being attached adjacent to the base of the supporting frames and guided over rollers to acentral cable support, the cable G having stay-rods and inclined braces, substantially as shown.

4C. In a bridge, the combination, ot the supporting frame B comprising uprights and inclined brace beams, of the longitudinal beams and cables which extend across the span to the opposite supporting frames, and cables which extend from the uprights to `the ends of the longitudinal beams beyond the uprights, substantially as shown.

GEORGE WASHINGTON IfRlilDllRIfli.4

Witnesses:

E. G. DEMING, C. MONROE. 

